Bottom discharge means for silo

ABSTRACT

Bottom discharge means for a silo having a discharge opening in the bottom adjacent the center of the silo, and an auger extending upward from the bottom is rotated by power means to move material down to the discharge opening. Shield means is spaced above the discharge opening to provide a lateral passage beneath the shield to the discharge opening to prevent clogging the same. A housing below the bottom of the silo supports bearings for the auger shaft and drive means, and a discharge chute is formed by said housing and a closure to guide material to discharge means.

United States Patent Stauffer et al. 1 Jan. 16, 1973 BOTTOM DISCHARGEMEANS FOR I ces Cited SILO UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 lfwemofsi Aaronslam", p John 3,424,350 1/1969 Herr et al ..214/17 DA x Herr, e both ofJames 3,567,078 3/1971 Herr etal ..2|4/17 DA x W. Lepley; James C.Zimmerly, I b o Smithville, Ohio Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan 73Assignee: Flying Dutchman, lnc., Smithville, AmmeYTC- Just Ohm 57ABSTRACT Fl d: 12 1 71 [22] 16 Aug 9 Bottom discharge means for a silohaving a discharge [2]] Appl. No.: 171,153 opening in the bottomadjacent the center of the silo, and an auger extending upward from thebottom is [52] U S Ci 214/17 DA 222/227 222/228 rotated by power meansto move material down to the 222/246 222/4; discharge opening. Shieldmeans is spaced above the [51] Int Cl B6 5g 65/46 discharge opening toprovide a lateral passage beneath [58] Field ofsea'rch ZN/l7 D 17222/228 the shield to the discharge opening to prevent clogging 413 thesame. A housing below the bottom of the silo supports bearings for theauger shaft and drive means. and a discharge chute is formed by saidhousing and a closure to guide material to discharge means.

16 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BOTTOM DISCHARGE MEANS FOR SILO BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises an improvement overprior US. Pat. Nos. 3,424,350, dated Jan. 28, 1969 and 3,567,078, datedMar. 2, 1971. Both of these prior patents pertain to Bottom DischargeMechanisms for Silos. Particularly for purposes of simplifying saidstructures, while affording certain improvements therein, the presentinvention has been developed.

In general, providing bottom discharge mechanisms for silos whichfunction effectively and continuously to provide substantially uniformdischarge of the material from the interior of the silo is a difficultachievement. Especially in regard to silos of large capacity, where theheight is of the order of 50 or 60 feet or more, it can be visualizedthat the pressure exerted by the full weight of the contents of a filledsilo upon the lowermost portion thereof, such as adjacent the dischargeopening in the bottom of the silo, is tremendous. Accordingly, thestructures of the aforementioned patents have included augers having acoarse pitch and flexible chains which, when rotating in fully operativeposition, extend radially outward therefrom for purposes of dislodgingthe silage material adjacent the discharge opening in the bottom of thesilo.

One of the difficulties resulting from such operation, however, is thatabout the time that a cavity of substantial diameter is developed in thelower portion of the compacted, stored silage material, through theoperation of said dislodging mechanism, the weight of the material abovethe cavity causes the material to move downwardly in the silo andcollapse the cavity. Frequently, this occurs suddenly and, in any event,the falling of appreciable quantities of compact silage material ontothe bottom of the silo, and especially onto that portion on the bottomadjacent the discharge opening, causes a jamming and clogging of thedischarge opening with which the dislodging mechanism provided in saidaforementioned'patents is not adequate to cope with readily as well asdesired.

Various other types of bottom discharge mechanisms for silos have beendevised, but, in general, none of these offer devices or mechanismswhich adequately solve the problem of the clogging and jamming of thedischarge openings which results from the dropping or falling ofappreciable quantities of compacted silage material onto the bottom ofthe silo incident to the operation of the dislodging mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the presentinvention to provide a bottom discharge mechanism for a silo meansadjacent the discharge opening in the bottom thereof which prevents theclogging of the discharge opening when a mass of the silage materialdrops or falls onto the bottom of the silo and especially in thevicinity of the discharge opening, such means being of a nature whichdoes not interfere with the operation of the dislodging mechanism andotherwise imposes no added burden upon the power to drive the dislodgingmechanism.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide such improved means forpreventing clogging of the discharge mechanism with mechanism that alsooperates as metering means to provide a more even rate of discharge ofthe silage material through the discharge opening than is possible byprevious bottom discharge mechanisms for silos.

A still further object of the invention is to devise such meteringmechanism in the form of a shield which has a substantially horizontaltop spaced above the bottom of the silo and overlies the dischargeopening therein to prevent falling silage material from passing directlyand vertically through the discharge opening and thus, prevent cloggingand jamming thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide the shield with sidemembers extending downward from the edges thereof into engagement withthe bottom of the silo adjacent the perimeter of the discharge openingbut the side member at one side of said shield means being omitted toprovide a lateral passage or opening through which silage material ismoved by positively driven impelling means which operates progressivelyto feed silage material through the lateral opening and downward throughthe discharge opening in the bottom of the silo.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such impellingmeans in the form of short flexible members carried by the shaft whichsupports the auger in the lower portion of the silo at a level to movethrough the lateral opening of the shield means, thereby to insure themovement of silage material through said lateral opening and thendownward through the discharge opening in the bottom of the silo.

One other object of the invention is to provide the bottom dischargemeans with a housing which is attachable to the bottom of the silo belowthe shield means and in vertical alignment with the auger shaft anddischarge opening, said housing supporting power means and supportingbearings for the auger, and also to define a discharge chute whichreceives and guides falling material from the discharge opening in thebottom of the silo and directs it to transversely extending materialremoval means, such as an endless belt or the like.

One further object of the invention is to provide a closure for thedischarge chute which, in the open position thereof, defines one wall ofthe discharge chute to guide the material into said aforementionedmaterial removal means and, when the closure is in closed position, itextends transversely across the chute opening and thereby prevents v thepassage of material therethrough.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a portion of thedrive means for the auger, which is disposed transversely adjacent thebottom of the housing, with an angularly extending deflecting guide inthe discharge chute to prevent falling material from contacting saidhorizontally extending portion of the power means incident to guidingthe material into said materi- 211 removal means.

One further object of the invention isto provide power means in the formof an electric motor which is supported by one side of said housing andhas a drive sheave thereon connectable by a belt or the like to thehorizontally extending portion of the drive means referred to above,which is adjacent the lower end of the housing.

Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, I

as well as other objects thereof, are set forth in the followingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprising apart thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly invertical section, showing bottom discharge means for the silo, which isillustrated in foreshortened manner, and embodying the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged side elevation of the essentiallynovel portions of the discharge means shown in FIG. 1 and illustrated asbeing supported by a portion of the bottom of the silo shown in FIG. 1,said bottom being in vertical section in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown inFIG. 1 as seen on the line 3-3 thereof, part of said view being inhorizontal section.

FIG. 4 is a vertical elevation, mostly in vertical section, andillustrating on an enlarged scale, as compared with FIGS. 1 and 2,powered drive means and supporting' bearing means for the auger of thedislodging mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical elevation, partly in section, showingon a slightly smaller scale than in FIG. 2, the mechanism illustrated inFIG. 2 as seen from the right-hand side of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The 'silo may be of any conventional shape andformed from any conventional material. As illustrated, the same is shownas being formed from concrete. In addition to the exemplary cylindricalsidewall 12, the silo has a top 14 and a bottom 16. If desired, thebottom 16 may be substantially at ground level and a lower space 18 isprovided beneath the bottom 16 to accommodate some of the mechanismshown in FIG. 1 which comprises part of the present invention.

Extending through the bottom 16 is a vertical shaft 20, the upper end ofthe shaft supporting an auger 22 which has a spiral flight thereon ofrelatively coarse pitch. Particularly, if the bottom 16 is formed fromreinforced concrete, a short transversely extending beam structure 24 isembedded at its outer ends within the bottom 16 as shown in FIG. 4. Themid portion of the beam supports an upper bearing 26 through which theshaft extends, the lower end of the shaft being supported in a bottombearing 28 which is supported by another transversely extending beamstructure 30. The opposite ends of beam structure 30 respectively areconnected to the opposite sidewalls 32 and 34 of a housing 36. Thehousing is suitably connected to and extends downward from the bottom 16of a silo. I

The bottom 16 of the silo also is provided with a discharge opening 38which is adjacent the axis of shaft 20 but at one side thereof, as shownin FIG. 1. The shaft 20 is driven by power means, preferably in the formof an electric motor 40. Said motor may conveniently be connected to andsupported by the sidewall 34 of housing 36, for example, as shown inFIG. 4. The drive sheave 42 is connected to the lower end of the driveshaft of the motor 40 and a driven sheave 44, of substantially largerdiameter than sheave 42, is connected to the lower end of shaft 20. Asbest shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, said lower end of shaft 20 extends belowthe bottom wall of the housing 36 and a flexible belt 46 or theequivalent extends around the sheaves 42 and 44 to cations arematerial-dislodging means which preferably are in the form ofpredetermined lengths of chains 48, which have digging elements on theouter ends thereof for purposes of effectively engaging the compactedsilage material 52 which is stored within the silo 10. As explained indetail in said aforementioned U.S.

' Pat. Nos. 3,424,350 and 3,567,078, to which attention is directed,when the silo 10 is being filled, the chopped silage material and thelike falls to the bottom 16, and depending upon the height of the silo,it is conceivable, especially when the same is full, that intensecompacting of the material occurs within the silo, especially adjacentthe bottom It. When the dislodging mechanism comprising auger 22 andchains 48 are idle, as they are during such filling operation, chainswill more or less hang vertically along the auger 22 and the materialwill compact around them.

When it is desired to remove or deliver some of the silage material fromthe silo 10, a motor 40 is energized and this rotates the auger 22 withthe chains 48 somewhat coiled or wrapped around the auger. The flight ofthe auger, however, will result in initially commencing to dislodge someof the material and move the same downward, due to the spiral directionof the flight and the rotary direction in which the auger is driven,whereby the material passes through the discharge opening 38. Inparticular, this is the manner of operating the previous devices shown'in aforementioned patents.

Gradually, as material is dislodged from the stored mass, due toengagement thereof by the auger22 and the chains 48, a cavity begins toform in the body of the silage. The cavity enlarges gradually due to the.centrifugal force of operation of the auger being imposed upon thechains, whereby the chains 48 eventually extend radially outward. Undersuch conditions, the digging elements .50 become more effective andefficient for purposes of digging into the compacted material causing itto fall downwardly toward the axis of the auger and discharge opening38. However, when a fairly large cavity has been developed, the weightof the stored material above the cavity normally tends to cause the massof material to drop down and collapse the cavity, whereupon the augerand ,chain continue to operate and develop a new cavity, in the mannerdescribed above, and so on until a desired amount of material has beenremoved through the discharge opening 38. I

In accordance with the operation of said prior devices, it frequentlyoccurs that, when material in the upper portion of the silo fallsdownwardly by the force of gravity into the cavity formed by the chain,it tends to jam and clog the discharge opening in the bottom of thesilo. Such prior mechanisms have been as satisfactory as desired toreact with such compacted and clogged material for purposes of freeingthe opening. On .occasions, it has been necessary for a workman to crawlinto the space beneath the bottom or floor of the silo and manuallydislodgethe clogged material from the discharge opening so that feedingof the material therethrough can be resumed.

In order to obviate this difficulty, the present invention comprisesshield means 54 which, in its simplest form, is somewhat box-shaped. Ithas a top 56 which is spaced above,,and preferably, substantiallycompletely overlies the discharge opening 38, as is best shown inFIG. 1. The top 56 of the shield means is supported by a plurality ofsides 58 which are connected to the edges of the top and extend downwardto and are connected suitably to the upper surface of the bottom 16 ofthe silo. Such sides preferably extend around three of the edges of thetop 16, but the side 60 of the shield means is open, this being the sidewhich is closest to the axis of shaft 20 and auger 22. Said open sidecomprises a laterally extending exit opening through which materialwhich has accumulated around the lower end of auger 22 may pass so as tomove to and through the discharge opening 38 in the bottom 16 ofthesilo.

In order that the material which has been moved downwardly to the lowerend of the auger 22, by means of the operation thereof and the chains 48thereon, may be induced positively to move through the exit openingcomprising the open side 60 of shield means 54, the present inventionprovides impelling members 62 which, as best shown in FIGS. 2-4, areflexible and may conveniently comprise short lengths of chains connectedat one end to the lower end of auger 22, for example, or the adjacentportion of shaft 20, if desired. Preferably, they are at a verticalelevation which permits them, when operating, to move through exitopening 60 in unidirectional manner, as indicated by the directionarrows in FIGS. 3. Such operation insures continual movement of thesilage material through said exit opening 60 for passage therethroughand downward through the discharge opening 38 in bottom 16. Althoughshort lengths of chain 62 have been illustrated specifically asembodying such impelling means, other equivalent mechanism may besubstituted therefor, if desired, as long as the same positively movesthe material into said laterally extending exit opening 60.

After the material has been delivered to and through the exit opening 38in bottom 16 of the silo, further handling and guiding of the same isnecessary and desired. This is effected by means of the housing 36 andespecially the portions of the sidewalls 32 and 34 thereof which aredirectly below the shield means 54, and particularly the sides 58thereof. Specifically, said sidewalls 32 and 34 have a transversepartition 63 extending therebetween and connected at its opposite edgesrespectively to said sidewalls.

The outermost edge portions of said sidewalls also have a pair ofbearing plates 64 fixed thereto, shown in FIGS. 2 and S, for purposes ofsupporting actuating ears 66 which extend perpendicularly from oppositeedges of a planar closure member 68, the latter being shown in openposition in full lines in FIG. 2, and the same being shown in phantom insaid figure in closed position. The ears 66 are connected to bearingplates 64 by pivot bolts 70.

When the closure 68 is in open position as shown in full lines in FIG.2, it depends vertically and is, more or less, parallel to thetransverse partition 63. By such means, the portions of the sidewalls 32and 34 which are between the partition 63 and the bearing plate 64define a discharge chute when the closure 68 is in said aforementionedopen position. However, in order to prevent the discharge material fromcontacting the transversely extending driven sheave 44, which comprisespart of the drive mechanism, an additional an gularly extendingdeflecting plate 72'is provided which extends between said sidewalls 32and 34 and is connected at its opposite edges thereto. Plate 72therefore effectively results in diverting the discharging silagematerial 74, shown in FIG. 2, into transversely extending materialremoving means 76, details of which are best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

The closure member 68 is movable between closed and open positions bysuitable linkage means 78, several sets of which are respectivelyprovided at opposite sides of the chute defined by sidewalls 32 and 34.One end of each set of linkage means 78 is connected to a transverselyextending rod 80 which extends between the outer ends of the actuatingcars 66 on closure 68. The opposite ends of said sets of linkage meansare connected to another transversely extending rod 82, shown in FIG. 2,which extends through bearings respectively formed in the oppositesidewalls 32 and 34. An appropriate manually actuatable handle 84 isfixedly connected to one end of said rods so that it is capable ofsimultaneously actuating both sets of linkages 78 similarly and, thus,provide firm positioning of the closure 68 in either closed or openpositions, a desired.

The material removing means 76 may be of any ofa number of appropriatetypes. As shown in FIG. 5, the

type selected comprises an endless belt 84 having spaced transverseflights 86 thereon so as to effectively carry silage material 88 upwardand outward from beneath the lower end of the discharge chute on housing36. At the receiving end of the removal means 76, a pair of outwardlyextending wings 88 preferably are provided to prevent the spilling ofthe discharge material as it enters the removal means 76.

From the foregoing, it will readily be seen that the present inventionprovides, in particular, shield means 54 for preventing clogging orjamming of the discharge opening 38 in the bottom 16 of the silo in amanner which effects metering of the discharge material, regardless ofhow much falls downwardly toward the lower end of the auger 22. Thisresults in continual discharge of the loosened material, at asubstantially constant rate through the discharge opening 38, where itfalls through the relatively simple chute, formed by the sidewalls ofthe housing 36 and the partition 63 and closure 68, when the closure isin open position. In particular, the chute means is of an extremelysimple nature and, in addition, the housing 36 also provides ample meansfor supporting the bearings for the shaft 20 which supports the auger22, as well as the drive means and the motor 40 to power the same.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its severalpreferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is notto be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and describedsince the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scopeof the invention as illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. Bottom discharge means for a silo for storing pulverant materialincluding an upstanding silo shell having a top to cover the upper endand a bottom extending across the lower portion thereof, and a dischargeopening in said bottom near the center thereof, in combination with ashaft extending substantially vertically upward from said bottomadjacent said discharge opening, auger means on said shaft above saidbottom having a coarse pitch operable to dislodge pulverant materialwithin said silo shell, power means connected to said shaft and operableto rotate the same in a direction to cause said auger to move saidmaterial downwardly, and shield means positioned above and at leastpartially over said discharge opening to intersect falling material andprevent it from falling directly downwardly through said opening in saidbottom and thereby prevent the same from jamming said opening incidentto being discharged therethrough.

2. The discharge means according to claim 1 in which said shield meanshas an exit opening along one side thereof adjacent said shaft.

3. The discharge means according to claim 2 in which said exit openingin said shield means is within a substantially vertical plane and saidshaft having material engaging means operable to extend substan- 4. Thedischarge means according to claim 2 inwhich said shield means has asubstantially horizontal top approximately as large as said exit openingin said bottom of said silo and overlying the same, and said shieldhaving side members extending to said bottom of said silo and supportingsaid shield above the same.

5. The discharge means according to claim 4 in which the side of saidshield nearest said shaft has no side member, thereby to provide saidexit opening in said shield.

6. The discharge means according to claim 5 in which the lower end ofsaid auger is lower than the top of said shield means. I

7. The discharge means according to claim 1 further including a housingadapted to be mounted below and connected to the bottom of said silo,said power means being connected to said housing, and bearings connectedto said housing respectively adjacent the top and bottom of said housingto support the lower end portion of said shaft for rotation relative tosaid hous- 8. The discharge means according to claim 7 in v which saidhousing has opposed sidewalls and a partition.

10. The discharge means according to claim 9 m which said pivot for saidclosure is substantially horizontal and adjacent the outer wall of saidhousing which is opposite said partition.

11. The discharge means according to claim 10 further including anoperating handle pivotally supported by said housing and linkageconnected between said handle and closure and operable to move saidclosure between open and closed positions thereof.

12. The discharge means according to claim 9 further including amaterial conveying means extending from beneath the lower end of saiddischarge chute laterally outward therefrom and having a hopper-likeinlet positioned to receive material directly from said discharge chute.

13. The discharge means according to claim 12 in which a portion of thepower means for said shaft comprises means extending horizontally acrossa portion of the bottom of said housing, and said housing including anangular deflecting guide in said discharge chute extending away fromsaid horizontally extending portion of said power means to preventmaterial from contacting the same while being discharged.

14. The discharge means according to claim 13 in which said deflectingguide and closure coact with said opposing sidewalls of said housing toform the lower end portion of said discharge chute when said closure isin its open position. i

15. The discharge means according to claim 14 further including conveyormeans extending upward and outward from said discharge chute to receivematerial therefrom. v

16. The discharge means according to claim 9 in which said bearings insaid housing which are respectively adjacent the top and bottom thereofare also within an axis adjacent one side of said discharge opening,said discharge means also including a, driven member connected to thelower end of said shaft, and said power means for said shaft comprisingan electric motor mounted exteriorly of said housing adjacent one sidethereof and having drive means connected to said driven member on saidshaft.

1. Bottom discharge means for a silo for storing pulverant material including an upstanding silo shell having a top to cover the upper end and a bottom extending across the lower portion thereof, and a discharge opening in said bottom near the center thereof, in combination with a shaft extending substantially vertically upward from said bottom adjacent said discharge opening, auger means on said shaft above said bottom having a coarse pitch operable to dislodge pulverant material within said silo shell, power means connected to said shaft and operable to rotate the same in a direction to cause said auger to move said material downwardly, and shield means positioned above and at least partially over said discharge opening to intersect falling material and prevent it from falling directly downwardly through said opening in said bottom and thereby prevent the same from jamming said opening incident to being discharged therethrough.
 2. The discharge means according to claim 1 in which said shield means has an exit opening along one side thereof adjacent said shaft.
 3. The discharge means according to claim 2 in which said exit opening in said shield means is within a substantially vertical plane and said shaft having material engaging means operable to extend substantially radially from said shaft when rotating and engage material adjacent the lower end of said auger and move it through said exit opening of said shield for passage through said discharge opening in said bottom of said silo.
 4. The discharge means according to claim 2 in which said shield means has a substantially horizontal top approximately as large as said exit opening in said bottom of said silo and overlying the same, and said shield having side members extending to said bottom of said silo and supporting said shield above the same.
 5. The discharge means according to claim 4 in which the side of said shield nearest said shaft has no side member, thereby to provide said exit opening in said shield.
 6. The discharge means according to claim 5 in which the lower end of said auger is lower than the top of said shield means.
 7. The discharge means according to claim 1 further including a housing adapted to be mounted below and connected to the bottom of said silo, said power means being connected to said housing, and bearings connected to said housing respectively adjacent the top and bottom of said housing to support the lower end portion of said shaft for rotation relative to said housing.
 8. The discharge means according to claim 7 in which said housing has opposed sidewalls and a partition extending transversely between said sidewalls and downwardly from one edge of said discharge opening.
 9. The discharge means according to claim 8 in which said partition and sidewalls of said housing define a discharge chute depending from the perimeter of said discharge opening, and said housing having a closure for said chute pivoted adjacent one side of said chute and extending substantially transversely acRoss said chute when in closed position and substantially vertically downward from said pivot when in open position.
 10. The discharge means according to claim 9 in which said pivot for said closure is substantially horizontal and adjacent the outer wall of said housing which is opposite said partition.
 11. The discharge means according to claim 10 further including an operating handle pivotally supported by said housing and linkage connected between said handle and closure and operable to move said closure between open and closed positions thereof.
 12. The discharge means according to claim 9 further including a material conveying means extending from beneath the lower end of said discharge chute laterally outward therefrom and having a hopper-like inlet positioned to receive material directly from said discharge chute.
 13. The discharge means according to claim 12 in which a portion of the power means for said shaft comprises means extending horizontally across a portion of the bottom of said housing, and said housing including an angular deflecting guide in said discharge chute extending away from said horizontally extending portion of said power means to prevent material from contacting the same while being discharged.
 14. The discharge means according to claim 13 in which said deflecting guide and closure coact with said opposing sidewalls of said housing to form the lower end portion of said discharge chute when said closure is in its open position.
 15. The discharge means according to claim 14 further including conveyor means extending upward and outward from said discharge chute to receive material therefrom.
 16. The discharge means according to claim 9 in which said bearings in said housing which are respectively adjacent the top and bottom thereof are also within an axis adjacent one side of said discharge opening, said discharge means also including a driven member connected to the lower end of said shaft, and said power means for said shaft comprising an electric motor mounted exteriorly of said housing adjacent one side thereof and having drive means connected to said driven member on said shaft. 